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Community Matters
Winter/Spring 2012
MERCY HOUSING NORTHWEST HELPS DEVELOP AFFORDABLE HOUSING FOR THE YAKAMA NATION
Mercy Housing Northwest is working with the Yakama Nation Housing Authority (YNHA) to create a 68-unit development on trust land in Wapato, Washington that will bring housing to Yakama tribal members with large families. The 45-acre development, called Adams View, is part of a larger community development project that includes housing and infrastructure such as new roads, water storage and water treatment systems.
YNHA has long been a property management and services provider for tribal members on reservation land. In order to access the complex financing for the Adams View project and manage the construction process, YNHA reached out to Mercy Housing Northwest (MHNW). Together, MHNW and YNHA secured both Low Income Housing Tax Credits and a HUD Title VI Loan Guarantee. This allowed YNHA to access $24 million in private capital to address chronic infrastructure and housing needs. The combination of financing resources will support the development of 68 single family homes designed for extended tribal families, including 13 fully accessible homes to accommodate disabled tribal family members as they age in place. The infrastructure project consists of a new elevated, 150,000 gallon water storage tank and a waste water treatment plant that will serve the Adams View development as well as provide enhanced fire safety for YNHA developments in the immediate area.
“Our partnership with Mercy Housing Northwest has been extremely valuable,” said Jim Berg, Executive Director of the YNHA. “They brought their expertise in real estate financing and affordable housing development, and the result is a significant impact on our ability to increase the number of affordable housing units on Indian land.” Adams View is the second collaboration between MHNW and YNHA, following the 50-unit senior project, Wanity Park Apartments, which was completed in 2011.
The Adams View development is the largest Low-Income Housing Tax Credit project on Indian land and second largest financing package in the history of the Title VI loan program in the United States. The project creates new jobs for tribal members and supports the local economy: YNHA is acting as the general contractor on a significant portion of the housing construction and Yakama Forest Products is providing milled lumber to the development.
“We are proud of our work with the Yakama Nation Housing Authority,” said Bill Rumpf, MHNW President. “The project is providing much needed affordable housing for tribal members and it supports our mission of creating stable, vibrant and healthy communities.